This Marine’s jaw-dropping awards citation for a five-hour fire fight is a must read

We recently learned that Gunnery Sgt. Richard A. Jibson would become the latest Marine to receive the Navy Cross for heroism in Afghanistan. The Secretary of the Navy will present the award during a ceremony tomorrow at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Andrew Owensby, a sailor who worked Jibson to save the life of a wounded comrade during a five-hour fire fight in Mazr Abad Janubi, Afghanistan, will receive the Bronze Star for the same action.

“Throughout the multiple engagements over the ensuing five hours, [Jibson] bravely left covered positions and crossed open terrain many times under withering small-arms and machine gun fire to provide suppressive fire, inspire his comrades and direct the fire and maneuver of the entire coalition force,” his citation reads. “When a fellow Marine was shot in the head by an enemy sniper, Gunnery Sergeant Jibson fearlessly charged into a hail of enemy machine gun fire, pulled the exposed wounded Marine to cover, and then assisted a corpsman in rendering emergency measures to stabilize him,” reads Jibson’s Navy Cross citation.

Owensby also performed selflessly that day.

“After pulling the Marine to safety under enemy fire, he immediately recognized a lack of airway due to extensive trauma to the mouth,” Owensby’s citation states. “Not able to establish an airway, he performed several advanced lifesaving techniques, including a cricotracheotomy. When the Marine stopped breathing, Petty Officer Owensby began breathing directly into the airway adjunct.”

He restored the Marine’s pulse and stabilized him for 45 minutes until casualty evacuation arrived.

Battle Ready – another account of a former Marine turned Navy Seal and Corpsman in Afghanistan. An excellent read!!

As A SEAL and combat medic, Mark served his country with valorous distinction for almost 25 years and survived some of the most dangerous combat actions imaginable.

From the rigors of BUD/S training to the horrors of the battlefield, Battle Ready dramatically immerses the listener in the unique life of the elite warrior-medic who advances into combat with life-saving equipment in one hand and life-taking weapons in the other. It is also an uplifting human story that reveals how a young Hispanic American bootstrapped himself out of a life that promised a dead-end future by enlisting in the military. That new life begins with the Marines and includes his heroic achievements on the battlefield and the operating table, and finally, of his inspirational triumph over the demons caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that threatened to destroy him and his family.

i am proud to call myself a marine as is any marine . and i am proud to also call gunny jibson a comrade at arms and would be proud to serve with him any time . he is a true leader and a true marine . I salute both the gunny and the corpsman i pray that some day all of our marines come home safe along wwith all of our other servicemen